Date: 02/04/05 Prepared By: Cliff Bellaney

 Unit Product Weight: 1 ounce

Velvet demonstrates androgenic and gonadotrophic effects, meaning that it helps to regulate the activity of the sex organs. The sex hormones estrone, testosterone and a substance similar to progesterone have been identified at low levels and together with the high levels of amino acids present in higher graded velvet may help to explain the belief throughout the Orient that consuming velvet invigorates the sexual energy.

Blood Building and the Reduction of Blood Pressure

Antler velvet has long been recognized as being effective for increasing both the volume and the circulation of blood through the body. As a specific remedy in traditional medicine for anaemia it has been shown in experiments to have a potent erythropoetic effect, meaning that it stimulates the formation of red blood cells.

Velvet not only builds blood but research has shown that it also has a strong influence on blood pressure - one of its major properties is the lowering of blood pressure, and since it is so easily demonstrated is widely used as a test for its biological activity. Velvet has also been shown to restore blood pressure to normal in both hypo- and hyper-tensive patients.

Anti-stress and Anti-aging Effects

Experimental research has demonstrated that velvet preparations can protect the body from stress such as heat, cold and electric shock. Russian studies report that patients treated with velvet extract prior to surgery had significantly lower levels of stress indicators in the blood. According to another Russian researcher, Dr Korobkov, velvet extract acts "by accelerating the body's natural restorative processes and by increasing the body's resistance to unfavorable external influence."

Recent Chinese research suggests that velvet preparations showed anti-aging effects by reducing signs of senility, very possibly due to its hormonal effects.

Accelerated Healing Effects in Injuries and Wounds

One of the outstanding properties of antler velvet is its ability to alleviate the pain of inflammation, such as joint pain, swelling and tissue injury. In other studies from Japan, velvet extract has been shown to speed up the healing of damaged nerve tissue and also aids in the recovery of patients suffering from cervical and whiplash injuries.

It has been suggested that the high concentrations of hormone like substances in deer velvet are responsible for the rapid tissue repair after injury, or even the cartilaginous concentration of the antler itself. Over 35 years ago Dr john F. Prudden and other researchers discovered such elements in cartilage as N-Acetyl-Glucosamine, glycosaminoglycans and synoviocytes that have all been associated with accelerated wound healing. These elements may well be one of the primary reasons why arthritics are helped so much by such substances as shark cartilage and deer velvet.

Anti-Cancer and AIDS research

While there is no evidence to date showing that velvet actually cures cancer, Russian experiments have shown it to increase the survival rate, and in some instances, to inhibit the spread of tumor cells. Present clinical trials run by AgResearch in Korea are showing positive results, with the velvet extract increasing the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs while at the same time reducing their side effects.

As an immune enhancer for patients with HIV, velvet is also undergoing studies at the Institute for Traditional Medicine in California.

To list all of the therapeutic claims for this precious substance of the deer is far beyond the scope of this article. But as the potency of velvet, "the greatest source of yang energy" and its attributes become better known, many Westerners will surely become converts to this wonderfully safe and natural remedy.

The first topic I would like to talk to you about is Angiogenesis - that is the growth of blood vessels. As you all know deer velvet grows at up to 2cm per day. This means that all support tissues, including blood vessels must also grow at that rate. The question is how can they do this? Is it possible that deer velvet possesses unique factors which can allow blood vessels to grow that fast - and if so how can we exploit this knowledge?

One way of showing that a substance causes blood vessel growth is to test it on fertilized chicken's eggs. As the chicken embryo develops in the egg, blood vessels grow out and surround the egg white. It is possible to treat small areas with test substances; those that reduce blood vessel growth will leave a space, those that stimulate blood vessel growth will cause an increase in the density of blood vessels. On the left of the screen there is a control - you can see some blood vessels and on the right there is a treated egg. This egg was actually treated with purified growth factors, but deer velvet operates in exactly the same way. You can see the increase in the number of blood vessels."

A second way of showing that deer velvet causes blood vessels to grow is to take small pieces of adult deer arteries and put them in tissue culture. You can then add test substances and see if they cause outgrowths. In this figure we have taken a small slice of deer carotida artery and treated it with deer velvet extract. You can clearly see filamentous threads of new blood vessels growing out from the artery. This means that the deer velvet extract causes new blood vessels to grow.

Taking these results together it is clear that there are factors in deer velvet which promote blood vessel growth. There are likely to be therapeutic properties, for example in tissue repair and wound healing which are being actively pursued.

Deer velvet is unique in that it is the only mammalian organ to fully regenerate each year. It follows that there are likely to be unique factors which are responsible for this property.
We have developed a system to identify genes which are only expressed - that is, make proteins - in antler. This slide shows 3 genes which are clearly present in the antler and not in the deer body - the rather smudgy bands indicate the gene is working in antler and not body tissue. The need now is to find out what these genes are doing, and is the function novel and commercially exploitable. Function is the key for a patentable finding.

We can use a number of techniques to help us determine function. This figure shows, on the right, a piece of velvet under the microscope and on the left the same piece of velvet which has been treated to show that a gene of interest is present. The lighter areas, which are around blood vessels, indicate that this gene probably is involved with blood vessel growth. We know of other genes which are found only around new bone synthesis. Such information gives clues as to function. No single technique can answer all the questions and we need a set of techniques to be sure of novel function.

So we can conclude that there are novel factors in deer velvet, which we can find, which are not present elsewhere in the body. These factors could be markers for deer velvet in dietary supplements or be novel action ingredients for new supplements.

Deer velvet may contain a liver protecting factor, and indeed some recently released Canadian data points to this. We have looked at whether NZ deer velvet is effective by measuring the levels of liver enzymes which are raised when the liver is damaged. We also had the opportunity to look at the effect of deer velvet processing techniques on liver protecting factors.

The data shows that for 2 liver enzymes, AST and AL T, levels were lower - indication of less damage - in animals fed deer velvet compared to controls. The freeze dried deer velvet appeared slightly better than heat processed deer velvet in this respect. We can conclude that, in this model NZ deer velvet exerted a liver protection effect. So in terms of science achievement we have new results in 4 key areas.

Some further recent references

Toxicological evaluation of New Zealand deer velvet powder. Part I: acute and subchronic oral toxicity studies in rats.

Zhang-H; Wanwimolruk-S; Coville-PF; Schofield-JC; Williams-G; Haines-SR;
Suttie-JM

Food-and-Chemical-Toxicology. 2000, 38: 11, 985-990; 13 ref.

Potential toxic effects of acute and subchronic dosage regimens of deer velvet powder have been assessed in rats following OECD guidelines. In the acute study, rats of both sexes were exposed to a single dose of 2 g/kg body weight. There was no mortality or other signs of toxicity during 14 days' observation. Furthermore, no significant alteration either in relative organ weights or their histology was discernible at terminal autopsy. In the 90-day subchronic study, deer velvet was administered in 1 g/kg daily doses by gavage to rats. A control group of rats received water only. There was no effect on body weight, food consumption, clinical signs, haematology and most parameters of blood chemistry including carbohydrate metabolism, liver and kidney function. No significant
differences were seen between the mean organ weights of the adrenal, kidney and brain in rats treated with deer velvet and control rats.

However, there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the group mean relative liver weight (3.52±0.30 vs 3.81±0.26 g/100 g body weight) of deer velvet-treated and control male rats. The gross necropsy and pathological examination of rats treated with deer velvet did not reveal any
abnormalities in tissue morphology. Based on these results, it may be concluded that rats had no deer velvet treatment-related toxicological and histopathological abnormalities at the doses administered, despite the observed minor changes in liver weight.

Cells in regenerating deer antler cartilage provide a microenvironment that
supports osteoclast differentiation.

Faucheux-C; Nesbitt-SA; Horton-MA; Price-JS

Journal-of-Experimental-Biology. 2001, 204: 3, 443-455; Many ref.

Lysophosphatidylcholine derived from deer antler extract suppresses hyphal
transition in Candida albicans through MAP kinase pathway.

Min-Juyoung; Lee-YounJin; Kim-YoungAh; Park-HyunSook; Han-SoYeop; Jhon
-GilJa; Choi-Wonja; Min-J; Lee-YJ; Kim-YA; Park-HS; Han-SY; Jhon-GJ; Choi-W

Biochimica-et-Biophysica-Acta,-Molecular-and-Cell-Biology-of-Lipids. 2001,
1531: 1-2, 77-89; 35 ref.

A family of 2-lysophosphatidylcholines (lyso-PCs) was isolated from deer antler extract, guided exclusively by hyphal transition inhibitory activity in Candida albicans. Structural determination of the isolated lyso-PCs by spectroscopic methods, including infrared spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C NMR, 2D correlation spectroscopy NMR, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry, confirmed that the natural products were composed of at least 4 different
lyso-PCs varying in fatty acid moiety at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone.

The major lyso-PCs were confirmed as 1-stearoyl-, 1-oleoyl-, 1-linoleoyl- and 1-palmitoyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholines. Lyso -PC specifically suppressed the morphogenic transition from yeast to hyphae in C. albicans, without affecting the growth of either yeast or hyphae. Lyso-PC exerted hyphal transition that suppressed activity in the broad spectrum of the Candida species, such as C. albicans, C. krusei, C.
guilliermondii and C. parapsilosis. Northern analysis indicated that the uppression was mediated through the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

Concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I in adult male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus): associations with serum testosterone, morphometrics and age during and after the breeding season.

Ditchkoff-SS; Spicer-LJ; Masters-RE; Lochmiller-RL

Comparative-Biochemistry-and-Physiology.-A,-Molecular-and-Integrative
-Physiology. 2001, 129: 4, 887-895; 57 ref.

Our understanding of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in cervids has been limited mostly to its effects on antler development in red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer (Dama dama), and pudu (Pudu puda). Although IGF-I has been found to play a critical role in reproductive function of other mammals, its role in reproduction of deer is unknown. The objectives of the present study were to determine if serum levels of IGF-I change during the breeding season, assess whether
age influences serum IGF-I, compare levels of IGF-I measured during and following the breeding season, and determine if IGF-I is associated with body and antler characteristics in free-ranging adult, male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We collected serum and morphometric data from hunter-harvested and captured white-tailed deer to investigate these objectives. Mean level of serum IGF-I during the breeding season was 63.6 ng/ml and was greatest in deer between 2.5 and 5.5 years old (57.4-79.9 ng/ml). Levels of serum IGF-I decreased by approximately 40% as the breeding season progressed, but levels were less in deer following the breeding season (34.6 ng/ml). Both body and antler size were associated positively with IGF-I when controlling for age. Serum testosterone was also associated positively with IGF-I. Levels of serum testosterone during the breeding season generally increased with age from 4.82 (1.5 years old) to 18.79 ng/dl (5.5 years old), but decreased thereafter. These data suggest that IGF-I may be an important hormone in breeding, male white-tailed deer.

Potential uses of velvet antler as nutraceuticals, functional and medical
foods in the West.

Sunwoo-HH; Sim-JS

Journal-of-Nutraceuticals,-Functional-and-Medical-Foods. 2000, 2: 3, 5-23;
38 ref.

Velvet antlers have been used as Oriental medicine for many centuries.Traditional medical reports and clinical observations from the Eastern world convincingly show that velvet antler is biologically active. However, little information is available on chemical and biological efficacy of antler products in the West due to the incomplete understanding of the uses and pharmacological properties of velvet antlers. To make antler products acceptable as nutraceuticals and functional foods in the West, antler research has been conducted to isolate and characterize the chemical and biological properties of velvet antlers. The chemical composition of antler was determined in four
sections (tip, upper, middle, and base). Contents of dry matter, collagen, ash, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium increased (P<0.05), and those of protein and lipid decreased (P<0.05) downward from the tip to the base.

The concentrations of uronic acid, sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and sialic acid decreased (P<0.05) downward. Amino acid and fatty acid contents, expressed as percentage of total protein and lipid, respectively, also varied (P<0.05) among sections. The yield of chondroitin sulfate (CS) was approximately six fold greater in the cartilaginous (tip and upper) sections than in the bony (middle and base) sections. In addition to CS, the antler sections contained small amounts of keratan sulfate (KS), hyaluronic acid, and dermatan sulfate. Two proteoglycans associated with GAGs were also extracted from the cartilaginous section; a large aggregated proteoglycan with CS and KS and small molecules of decorin. Water soluble extracts rich in GAG stimulated
the growth of bovine fibroblast in culture. Feeding antler diet for 54 days showed a significant effect on the growth rate of immunized rats. Diet antler powder resulted in a significant increase of HDL-C/LDL-C ratio (P<0.05). The result appears to reflect the involvement of unknown factor(s) derived from the antler diet suggesting the importance for the prevention of the risk of coronary heart disease. Haematocrit value and iron content in plasma also significantly increased by feeding antler powder (P<0.05). The data suggest that there are significant unknown factor(s) in the antler powder that enhances the biological performance of growing rats.

Effects of insulin-like growth factor 1 and testosterone on the
proliferation of antlerogenic cells in vitro.

Li-ChunYi; Littlejohn-RP; Suttie-JM; Li-CY

Journal-of-Experimental-Zoology. 1999, 284: 1, 82-90; 27 ref.

The aim of this study was to use cell culture techniques to investigate how testosterone and IGF1 affects the proliferation of antlerogenic cells from the four ossification stages of pedicle/antler in vitro. The results showed that in serum-free medium IGF1 stimulated the proliferation of antlerogenic cells from all four ossification stages (intramembraneous
(IMO), transistional (OPC), pedicle endrochondral (pECO) and antlerenfochondral (aECO)) in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, testosterone alone did not show any mitogenic effects on these antlerogenic cells.

However, in the presence of IGF1, testosterone increased proliferation of the antlerogenic cells from the IMO and the OPC stages (pedicle tissue), and reduced proliferation of the antlerogenic cells from transformation point (TP) and aECO stages (antler tissue). Therefore, the results from the present in vitro study support the in vivo findings that androgen hormones stimulate pedicle formation but inhibit antler growth. The change
in the mitogenic effects of testosterone on antlerogenic cells from positive to negative occurs approximately at the change in ossification type from OPC to pECO. Therefore, these results reinforce the hypothesis that the transformation from a pedicle to an antler takes place at the time when the ossification type changes from OPC to pECO rather than at the time when the pedicle grows to its full species-specific height.

Seasonal changes of testis volume, scrotal circumference and serum
testosterone concentrations in male sika deer (Cervus nippon).

Kameyama-Y; Takahashi-R; Ito-M; Maru-R; Ishijima-Y

Animal-Science-Journal. 2000, 71: 2, 137-142; 23 ref.

Annual changes in the concentration of serum testosterone (T) in sika deer stags were examined. The relationships between T concentration and the size of testis, and between T concentration and the antler cycle were also evaluated. T concentration increased between July and September, then decreased between October and November. The highest T concentration was noted in September or October. During the period from November to the following July, T concentration remained low. The volume of the testis and scrotal circumference showed changes similar to those in the T concentration. The testis volume showed clearer seasonal changes than those of the scrotal circumference. Shedding of velvets was observed during the period of high T concentrations. It is concluded that there are distinct annual changes in the blood T concentration in sika deer stags, which are related to the annual changes in testis volumes, scrotal circumferences and antlers.

Antinarcotic effects of the velvet antler water extract on morphine in mice.

Kim-HackSeang; Lim-HwaKyung; Park-WooKyu; Kim-HS; Lim-HK; Park-WK

Journal-of-Ethnopharmacology. 1999, 66: 1, 41-49; 35 ref.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the antinarcotic effects of velvet antler water extract (VAWE) from Cervus elaphus on morphine in mice. Morphine-induced analgesic action was measured by the tail-flick method. Morphine-induced hyperactivity and reverse tolerance were evidenced by measuring the enhanced ambulatory activity using a tilting -type ambulometer. Dopamine (DA) receptor supersensitivity in mice
displaying morphine-induced reverse tolerance was evidenced by the enhanced response in ambulatory activity to the DA agonist, apomorphine. The repeated administration of VAWE significantly inhibited the development of morphine-induced analgesic tolerance, physical dependence,
reverse tolerance and postsynaptic DA receptor supersensitivity. But a single administration of VAWE neither antagonized morphine-induced analgesia nor inhibited morphine-induced hyperactivity. From the above results, it is presumed that VAWE may be useful for prevention and therapy of the adverse actions of morphine caused by the repeated administration of morphine.

Effect of water-soluble extract from antler of wapiti (Cervus elaphus) on
the growth of fibroblasts.

Sunwoo-HH; Nakano-T; Sim-JS

Canadian-Journal-of-Animal-Science. 1997, 77: 2, 343-345; 7 ref.

Water-soluble extracts were prepared from the tip sections of antlers of 4 -year-old wapiti stags, and the effect of the extract on the growth of bovine skin fibroblasts in culture was examined. The results showed the presence of growth promoting factor(s) in the antler extract. The stimulation of cell growth was found to be dose-dependent (P<0.05).

Glycosaminoglycans from growing antlers of wapiti (Cervus elaphus).
Sunwoo-HH; Sim-LYM; Nakano-T; Hudson-RJ; Sim-JS

Canadian-Journal-of-Animal-Science. 1997, 77: 4, 715-721; 33 ref.

The emerging wapiti industry in North America is based largely on markets for velvet antlers which are used in oriental medicine. Despite the economic opportunity, enthusiasm has been dampened by incomplete understanding of the chemical and pharmacological properties of velvet antler. This study characterizes polysaccharide constituents of glycosaminoglycans in growing antler of wapiti (Cervus elaphus).
Glycosaminoglycans were isolated from four sections (tip, upper, middle and base) of growing antlers, and were studied using cellulose acetate electrophoresis, gel electrophoresis, enzymic digestion and gel chromatography. The tip and upper sections of the antler which are rich in cartilaginous tissues contained chondroitin sulfate as a major
glycosaminoglycan with small amounts of hyaluronic acid. In the middle and base sections containing bone and bone marrow, chondroitin sulfate was also a major glycosaminoglycan with small amounts of hyaluronic acid and chondroitinase-ACI resistant materials. More than half of chondroitin sulfate from the middle and base sections had larger molecular size than did the chondroitin sulfates from the tip and upper sections.

Concerns about HAART
(Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy)

HAART is the therapy, composed of multiple anti-HIV drugs, that is prescribed to many HIV-positive people, even before they develop symptoms of AIDS (and without considering that many will never develop these symptoms). The therapy usually includes one nucleoside analog (DNA chain terminator), one protease inhibitor and either a second nucleoside analog ("nuke") or a non-nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor (NNRTI).

Adverse Effects, in General

The list of side effects of HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) is so long, that it is impossible to categorize all of them. Further, some papers document side effects in a number of categories. The quotes below illustrate this.

"There is also increasing recognition that adverse events associated with antiretroviral treatment remain an important source of morbidity and even mortality, such as in advanced disease, in which non-AIDS serious adverse events continue to outweigh AIDS-related events in frequency and overall detrimental effects on quality of life."

Complications of antiretroviral therapy. XV International AIDS Conference. 2004 Aug 27.

Adverse Effects with Nucleoside Analogs ("Nukes")

Also see information specifically related to AZT in <a href="http://www.aras.ab.ca/azt.html">azt.html</a>.

"this rare but often life-threatening syndrom, now named ‘severe nucleoside-associated lactic acidosis' (NALA) has been reported increasingly often. Hepatic steatosis [loss of fat in liver] and lactic acidosis are thought to be caused by nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-associated mitochondrial toxicity...Low levels of hyperlactatemia have been reported in 21% of NRTI-treated patients, although the majority of these patients are

"Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has chosen to inform doctors of rapidly ascending muscular weakness as new symptom of nucleoside-related lactic acidosis and hyperlactataemia

Rapidly ascending neuromuscular weakness associated with nucleoside analogues. HIV Treatment Bulletin. 2001 Oct;2(8).

"Pancreatitis occurs with a frequency of 1 to 7% with the currently recommended doses of didanosine...Our analysis demonstrated that the use of hydroxyurea was associated with an adjusted fourfold increase in the risk of pancreatitis compared with patients on didanosine alone...There was one fatal case in a patient on didanosine + stavudine + hydroxyurea "

Adverse Effects with Protease Inhibitors

Protease Inhibitors were described as miracle drugs when they first were made available in late 1995. However, the miracle turned out to be a mirage, as a whole range of new side effects, particularly metabolic abnormalities, were discovered. As with all AIDS drugs, this should not have been a surprise, because they are tested for only a short time, in order to rush them to market.

"Participants who initiated therapy with a protease inhibitor were 2.02 times more likely to die than those who did not start therapy with this class of drug "

Hogg R et al. Rates of Disease Progression by Baseline CD4 Cell Count and Viral Load After Initiating Triple-Drug Therapy. JAMA. 2001 Nov 28;286(20):2568-77.

Blood Disorders

HAART can be toxic to blood because it almost always includes one or two nucleoside analogs, drugs like AZT that are notorious for their toxicity to red and white blood cells and blood cell production. Various forms of anemia are very common and sometimes are irreversible.

Bone Disease

HAART can have debilitating effects on the bones of people that take these drugs.

"Bone disorders in HIV-1 patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are an emerging issue...After approximately 27 months of treatment with indinavir (800 mg three times a day), zidovudine [AZT] and lamivudine [3TC], a 56-year-old HIV-1-infected bisexual man noticed thickenings on almost all fingers of his hands. He also noted several small protrusions at the costosternal [breastbone] junctions...After the introduction of indinavir [a protease inhibitor] in June 1998, the patient experienced myalgia [muscle pain], arthralgia [joint pain], dry skin, body hair loss, and ingrown toenails developed. The patient has also been taking trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole...

Click the link below to view the report in a PDF format.

AZT: Unsafe at Any Dose?

Click the link below to view the report in a PDF format.

Bovine Colostrum: its dietary supplementation role in improvement and modulation of human immune indices

Click the below link to view the report in a PDF format.

Colostrum and HIV Virus/AIDS

COLOSTRUM & COLOSTRUM DERIVATIVE RESEARCH

The newborn for whom the colostrum is intended is a blank tablet, immunologically speaking. It needs protection from the environment it has just entered, and it needs it immediately if it is to survive. Therefore colostrum, whether it is from a cow or a human, is loaded with everything the newborn needs to survive in the hostile world. Cows, unlike humans, are unable to receive immunoglobulins across the placenta to "prime" the immune system before birth, so they need a massive dose of immunoglobulins immediate after birth. Bovine colostrum thus contains much more Immunoglobulin G (IgG) than human colostrum, which contains predominantly Immunoglobulin A (IgA). IgG provides passive systemic immunity whereas IgA provides more localized immunity. Bovine colostrum is able to impart passive immunity not only to calves but to humans as well against a broad spectrum of pathogens as well as nonspecific immune support against all pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoan parasites. Colostrum also has the unique ability to modulate the immune system through the activity of colostrinin, a protein found only in colostrum, which can heat up or cool down the immune system depending upon what is needed by the host.

• Colostrum provides passive immunity against bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoan parasites^34-48
• Lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase and lysozyme are non-specific bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal components of colostrum^49-54
• Lactoferrin and lysozyme have been shown to act in concert with lactoferrin first binding to and removing the lipopolysaccharide protective coating of gram-negative bacteria (such as Vibrio cholerae (cholera), Salmonella typhimurium (food poisoning) and Eschericia coli), allowing lysozyme to enter the bacterial cell, causing lysis⁵⁵
• Lactoferrin is effective against HIV and Human Cytomegalovirus^56,57
• Colostrum alleviates Cryptosporidosis, a life-threatening diarrhea which occurs as a secondary infection in AIDS^58-60
• Colostrum contains complement factors and oligosaccharides which also provide non-specific antimicrobial protection^61,62
• Colostrum contains colostrinin^® (or PRP), a unique immunomodulatory peptide which causes the differentiation of thymocytes into active T cells and stimulates the differentiation of B cells and can also act to tone down on overactive immune system, such as is found in autoimmune diseases^63,64
• colostrinin^® also stimulates the production of interferon-beta (IFN ?) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) by peritoneal cells⁶⁵
• Oral administration of interleukin-1beta (IL-1?) from colostrum causes a marked increase in the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, indicating that colostrum stimulates the immune system⁶⁶
• Cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-?), interleukins (IL-1?, IL-1?, IL-6) and interferon (IFN?) in colostrum, stimulate the developing immune system in infants as well as the depressed immune system of aged individuals⁶⁷
• Colostrum stimulates the formation of cytokines, interleukins 1, 3 and 6 (IL-1, IL-3, IL-6), by blood leukocytes⁶⁸
• Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-?) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), both found in colostrum, modulate the activity of monocytes and macrophages in organizing immune responses to pathogens, either turning them on or off depending on what is needed⁶⁹

• Lactoferrin from colostrum increase both motility and superoxide production by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (white blood cells), apparently making them more effective in warding off infections⁷⁰
• Colostrum can modulate natural killer cell activity by stimulating or inhibiting production of interleukin-2 (IL-2)⁷¹

Research References

1. Lock, TJ. Review paper: Processing and its effect on colostrum powder quality. Oak on Elm, Ltd. (1999)
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3. Li-Chan, E, et al. Stability of bovine immunoglobulins to thermal treatment and processing. Food Research International 28(1):9-16 (1995). Milk exposed to commercial pasteurization processes retained high levels of IgG activity, whereas canned evaporated milk or sterilized milk had little or no IgG activity.
4. Bangham, AD, et al. Diffusion of univalent ions across the lamellae of swollen phospholipids. Journal of Molecular Biology 13(1):238-252 (1965)
5. Lasic, DD, et al. Spontaneous vesiculation. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 89-90:337-349 (2001). The thermodynamics of vesicle formation was analyzed by using the elastic bending energy approach. Several different possibilities of spontaneous vesiculation, due to soft bilayers, non-zero spontaneous curvature and Gaussian curvature, respectively, were presented and discussed. Intermediate structures in the closed vesicle-disklike mixed micelle phase transition could be either cup-like particles or open bilayers partially rolled into lipid tubules.
6. Wong, A, Toth, I. Lipid, sugar and liposaccharide based delivery systems. Current Medicinal Chemistry 8(9):1123-1136 (2001). Liposomes can be altered chemically by adding sugars and liposaccharides to get optimal absorption through a wide variety of membranes.
7. Haque, ME, et al. Influence of lipid composition on physical properties and peg-mediated fusion of curved and uncurved model membrane vesicles: "nature's own" fusogenic lipid bilayer. Biochemistry 40(14):4340-4348 (2001). Sphingomyelin and cholesterol both must be present in order to produce an exact replica of cell membranes.
8. Igarashi, A., et al. Liposomal photofrin enhances therapeutic efficacy of photodynamic therapy against the human gastric cancer. Toxicology Letters 145(2):133-141 (2003). Photodynamic therapy using light-sensitive chemicals such as photofrin and delivered via liposomes offers a potent and less invasive treatment for stomach and intestinal cancers. Use of liposomes as a delivery vehicle significantly increased accumulation of photofrin in tumors with a subsequent increase in therapeutic effect.
9. Rivera, E. Liposomal anthracyclines in metastatic breast cancer: clinical update. Oncologist 8(Suppl.2):3-9 (2003). Delivering anthracyclines - a common treatment for metastatic cancer - using liposomes avoids many of the severe side effects normally associated with its use while increasing the therapeutic index of its efficacy.
10. Justo, OR, Moraes, AM. Incorporation of antibiotics in liposomes designed for tuberculosis therapy by inhalation. Drug Delivery 10(3):201-207 (2003). Encapsulating antibiotics used in tuberculosis therapy inside liposomes allows for their delivery by inhalation, which increases their efficacy.
11. Steele, G, Jr, et al. Specific active immunotherapy with butanol-extracted, tumor-associated antigens incorporated into liposomes. Surgery 96(2):352-359 (1984). Tissue type-specific immunogens (cancer proteins) are used to protect against the recurrence of tumors, but are only effective if histocompatible. Placing the immunogens in liposomes, however, increases the survival of test animals regardless of histocompatibility.
12. Lopez-Berestein, G, et al. Prophylaxis of Candida albicans infection in neutropenic mice with liposome-encapsulated amphotericin B. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 25(3):366-367 (1984). Amphotericin B protected by liposome encapsulation was effective against Candida infection whereas unprotected Amphotericin B was not.
13. Chaize, B, et al. Encapsulation of enzymes in liposomes: high encapsulation efficiency and control of substrate permeability. Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes, and Immobilization Technology 32(1):67-75 (2004). Encapsulation in liposomes prevents denaturization of acetylcholinesterase enzyme in the gastrointestinal tract.
14. Sato, H, et al. Enhancement of the intestinal absorption of a cyclosporine derivative by milk fat globule membrane. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 17(11):1526-1528 (1994). Adding milk fat globule phospholipids to cyclosporine significantly increased absorption through the intestine in rats.
15. Yuasa, H, et al. Evaluation of milk fat-globule membrane (MFGM) emulsion for oral administration: absorption of alpha-linolenic acid in rats and the effect of emulsion droplet size. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 17(5):756-758 (1994). Using alpha-linoleic acid as a test substance, absorption of was increased using liposomes made from milk fat globule membranes.
16. Imokawa, G, et al. Decreased level of ceramides in stratum corneum of atopic dermatitis: an etiologic factor in atopic dry skin? Journal of Investigative Dermatology 96(4):523-526 (1991) Decreased levels of ceramides - a metabolite of sphingomyelin - is associated with dry skin, indicating that ceramides are vital for maintaining the water retention function of the skin.
17. Man, MQM, et al. Optimization of physiological lipid mixtures for barrier repair. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 106(5):1096-1101 (1996). Certain lipids in the skin, ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids, must be present in the proper proportions to maintain barrier function in the skin. Adding these lipids to damaged skin could help with healing the damage.
18. Madison, KC. Barrier function of the skin: "la raison d'etre" of the epidermis. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 121(2):231-241 (2003). Keeping the outside out and the inside in is the primary function of the skin. Lipids in the skin are the primary component of this barrier. Repair of the barrier function is necessary to heal damaged skin or diseased skin.
19. Bibel, DJ, et al. Sphingosines: antimicrobial barriers of the skin. Acta Dermato-Venereologica 73(6):407-411 (1993). Sphingosines, another metabolite of sphingomyelin, play an important role in the bacteriostatic and fungistatic function of the skin.
20. Nunzi, MG, et al. Therapeutic Properties of Phosphatidylserine in the Aging Brain. Phospholipids New York, Plenum, pp.213-218 (1990). The lipid content of the brain changes with age, leading to loss of membrane fluidity, enzymatic activities, and membrane receptors, and a decreased efficiency of signal mechanisms. This is accompanied by a deterioration in brain function. Supplementation with phosphatidylserine has been shown to counteract these changes to a degree.
21. Amaducci, L, et al. Use of phosphatidylserine in Alzheimer's disease. Annals of the New York Academy of Science 640:245-249 (1991). Phosphatidylserine has shown promise in helping to counteract the effects of Alzheimer's disease on brain function.
22. Fünfgeld, EW, Nedwidek, P. Neurohomologous phosphatidylserine in Parkinsonian patients with associated disorders of cerebral metabolism. Clinical Trials Journal 24(1):42-61 (1997). Giving phosphatidylserine to patients demonstrating symptoms of organic brain syndrome in association with Parkinson's disease showed up to 10% lessening of symptoms in some patients.
23. Murphy, EJ, et al. Phospholipid composition and levels are altered in Down syndrome brain. Brain Research 867(1-2):9-18 (2000). Changes in the phospholipid content of brains from patients with Down syndrome (mongoloidism) most likely are due to the effects of the disease. Similar changes have been observed in other neurological disorders.
24. Monteleone, P, et al. Effects of phosphatidylserine on the neuroendocrine response to physical stress in humans. Neuroendocrinology 52(3):243-248 (1990). Administering phosphatidylserine to subjects and then subjecting them to stress blunted the increase in ACTH and cortisol levels normally seen.
25. Monteleone, P, et al. Blunting by chronic phosphatidylserine administration of the stress-induced activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in healthy men. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 42(4):385-388 (1992). A follow-up to the previous study which indicated that long-term use of phosphatidylserine supplement can counter the effects of stress.
26. Benton, D, et al. The influence of phosphatidylserine supplementation on mood and heart rate when faced with an acute stressor. Nutritional Neuroscience 4(3):169-178 (2001). This study showed that phosphatidylserine supplementation can also improve the mood of subjects under stress. Obeid, LM, et al. Programmed cell death induced by ceramide. Science 259(5102):1769-1771 (1993). Sphingomyelin has been shown to be an important link in the signaling mechanism for controlling programmed cell death (apoptosis), cell growth and differentiation. The hydrolysis of sphingomyelin into ceramide acts to turn on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- ? ) and other cytokines, which in turn produces apoptosis. This has been used successfully in the treatment of leukemia.
27. Parodi, PW. Cows' milk fat components as potential anticarcinogenic agents. Journal of Nutrition (127(6):1055-1060 (1997). Some of the milk fats found normally in milk and colostrum have been show to have anticarcinogenic effects, including sphingomyelin and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
28. Dial, EJ, Lichtenburger, LM. A role for milk phospholipids in protection against gastric acid. Studies in adult and suckling rats. Gastroenterology 87(2):379-385 (1984). Phospholipids found in raw milk protect the stomach from excess gastric acid, thus providing protection from ulcers.
29.  Palmer, EL, et al. Antiviral activity of colostrum and serum Immunoglobulins A and G. Journal of Medical Virology 5:123-129 (1980). Virus-specific IgA was discovered in colostrum, including anti-polio antibody.
30. Ogra, PL, et al. Colostrum-derived immunity and maternal-neonatal interaction. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 409:82-95 (1983). Passive immunity to specific pathogens is passed from mother to infant via colostrum.
31. Brüssow, H., et al. Bovine milk immunoglobulins for passive immunity to infantile rotavirus gastroenteritis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 25(6):982-986 (1987). Protection against rotavirus, a dangerous pathogen which can cause serious, even fatal diarrhea in infants, can be passed orally through milk or colostrum safely and effectively.
32. Ebina, T, et al. Passive immunizations of suckling mice and infants with bovine colostrum containing antibodies to human rotavirus. Journal of Medical Virology 38:117-123 (1992). Another study that confirmed that oral immunization via colostrum or milk against rotavirus was possible, safe and effective.
33. Stephan, W, et al. Antibodies from colostrum in oral immunotherapy. Journal of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry 28:19-23 (1990). An immunoglobulin preparation from pooled bovine colostrum was found to be very effective in treating severe diarrhea, such as often found in AIDS patients.
34. van Hooijdonk, AC, Kussendrager, KD, Steijns, JM. In vivo antimicrobial and antiviral activity of components in bovine milk and colostrum involved in non-specific defense. British Journal of Nutrition 84(Suppl.1):S127-S134 (2000). Lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase, both present in colostrum in large amounts, provide non-specific defense against a broad spectrum of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses. This is significant both for the protection of commercially important animals as well as humans.
35. Korhonen, H, et al. Bovine milk antibodies for health. British Journal of Nutrition 84(Suppl.1):S135-S146 (2000). Bovine colostrum provides safe, effective protection against many pathogens. This natural immune protection can be extended by hyperimmunizing cows against specific pathogens.
36. Solomons, NW. Modulation of the immune system and the response against pathogens with bovine colostrum concentrates. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56(Suppl.3):524-528
37. Kivinen, A, et al. Gastroprotective effect of milk phospholipids, butter serum lipids and butter serum on ethanol and acetylsalicylic acid induced ulcers in rats. Milchwissenschaft 1991:573-575 (1991). Another study that demonstrated the ability of milk phospholipids to protect the stomach from ulcers produced by stomach acid.
38. Lichtenburger, LM, et al. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and phospholipid prodrugs: combination therapy with anti-secretory agents in rats. Gastroenterology 111(4):990-996 (1996). Combining phospholipid supplements with NSAID drugs reduces damage to the gastrointestinal lining and increases the therapeutic effect of the drugs.
39. Anand, BS, et al. Phospholipid association reduces the gastric mucosal toxicity of aspirin in human subjects. American Journal of Gastroenterology 94(7):1818-1822 (1999). Similar results were found when phospholipids were combined with aspirin.
40. Carlson, SE, et al. Lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis in infants fed a preterm formula with egg phospholipids. Pediatric Research 44(4):491-498 (1998). Necrotizing enterocolitis, a severe inflammation of the gut in newborn infants which causes some 4,000 deaths annually in the US, has a lower incidence when newborns are given formula containing phospholipids.
41. Sabin, AB. Anti-poliomyelitic substance in milk from human beings and certain cows. Journal of Diseases of Children 80:866-870 (1950). Seminal study by Dr. Albert Sabin, inventor of the oral polio vaccine, in which he discovered antibodies against the polio virus in colostrum.
42. Solomons, NW. Modulation of the immune system and the response against pathogens with bovine colostrum concentrates. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56(Suppl.3):524-528 (2002). The ability of colostrum to protect infants against pathogens, specifically those which cause gastroenteritis and severe diarrhea, makes it an ideal, cheap, safe and effective means of protecting children in those parts of the world where medical assistance is lacking or substandard and could save thousands of lives each year.
43. Ho, PC, Lawton, JWM. Human colostral cells: Phagocytosis and killing of E. Coli and C. Albicans. Journal of Pediatrics 93(6):910 -915 (1978). Cells found in colostrum are able to ingest and kill both E. coli and Candida.
44. Majumdar, AS, et al. Protective properties of anti-cholera antibodies in human colostrum. Infection and Immunity 36:962-965 (1982). Colostrum was able to prevent infection with cholera. Colostrum samples from India, where cholera is common, had much higher levels of anti-cholera IgA than those from Sweden, where cholera is rare.
45. Funatogawa, K, et al. Use of immunoglobulin enriched bovine colostrum against oral challenge with enterohaemorrhagic Eschericia coli O157:H7 in mice. Microbiology and Immunology 46(11):761-766 (2002). Colostrum can prevent infection against food-borne pathogens by preventing them from binding to the intestinal lining.
46. Widiasih, DA, et al. Passive transfer of antibodies to Shiga toxin-producing Eschericia coli O26, O111 and O157 antigens in neonatal calves by feeding colostrum. Journal of Veterinary Medicine 66(2):213-215 (2004). Feeding colostrum to calves provided protection against Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli, a particularly deadly strain of E. coli.
47. Acosta-Altamirano, G, et al. Anti-amoebic properties of human colostrum. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 216B:1347-1352 (1987). In addition to its effectiveness against bacterial, viral and fungal infections, colostrum also provides protection against amoebic pathogens.
48. Akisu, C, et al. Effect of human milk and colostrum on Entamoeba histolyica. World Journal of Gastroenterology 10(5):741-742 (2004). Colostrum was found to provide protection against Entamoeba histolyica, the cause of amoebiasis, a serious, chronic illness characterized by dysentery, gastrointestinal ulceration and abscess formation and intestinal blockage in infants particularly.
49. Edde, L, et al. Lactoferrin protects neonatal rats from gut-related systemic infection. American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal Liver Physiology 281:G1140-G1150 (2001). Lactoferrin protected neonatal rats from E. coli infection in the intestines. Lactoferrin plus lysozyme was bactericidal against the E. coli.
50. Qiu, J, et al. Human milk lactoferrin inactivates two putative colonization factors expressed by Haemophilus influenzae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 95:12641-12646 (1998). Lactoferrin prevents colonization of Haemophilus influenzae, the primary cause of otitis media and other respiratory infections in children, by inactivating two colonization factors expressed by the bacteria.
51. Hasegawa, K, et al. Inhibition with lactoferrin of in vitro infection with human herpes virus. Japanese Journal of Medical Science and Biology 47:73-85 (1994). Both human and bovine lactoferrin inhibit infection with human herpes simplex virus and human cytomegalovirus in cell cultures.
52. van der Strate, BW, et al. Antiviral activities of lactoferrin. Antiviral Research 52(3):225-239 (2001). Lactoferrin is effective against both DNA and RNA viruses, including rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, herpes virus and HIV, both by blocking cellular receptors and by directly binding to the viruses.
53. Andersson, Y, et al. Lactoferrin is responsible for the fungistatic effect of human milk. Early Human Development 59:95-105 (2000). Lactoferrin, through its iron-binding ability, is very effective against fungal infections with Candida and other fungi.
54. Samaranayake, YH, et al. Antifungal effects of lysozyme and lactoferrin against genetically similar, sequential Candida albicans isolates from a human immunodeficiency virus-infected Southern Chinese cohort. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 39(9):3296-3302 (2001). Lactoferrin plus lysozyme is very effective in killing nearly all oral strains of Candida, which is of particular importance to AIDS sufferers who are often unable to fight off Candida overgrowths, such as thrush.
55. Ellison, RT III, Giehl, TJ. Killing of gram-negative bacteria by lactoferrin and lysozyme. Journal of Clinical Investigation 88(4):1080-1091 (1991). Lactoferrin and lysozyme act together to kill gram-negative bacteria, such as Vibrio cholerae (cholera), Salmonella typhimurium (food poisoning) and Eschericia coli. The lactoferrin attaches to and destroys the cell wall of the bacteria, allowing the lysozyme to enter and lyse (burst) the organisms.
56. Harmsen, MC, et al. Antiviral effects of plasma and milk proteins: lactoferrin shows potent activity against both human immunodeficiency virus and human cytomegalovirus replication in vitro. Journal of Infectious Diseases172(2):380-388 (1995). Lactoferrin can protect against infection by HIV and human cytomegalovirus by blocking entrance into the body.
57. Berkhout, B, et al. Characterization of the anti-HIV effects of native lactoferrin and other milk proteins and protein-derived peptides. Antiviral Research 55(2):341-355 (2002). Bovine lactoferrin as well as peptides derived from lactoferrin blocks the entry process of HIV into cells.
58. Rump, JA, et al. Treatment of diarrhea in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum. Clinical Investigator 70:588-594 (1992). Immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum were very effective in treating chronic diarrhea in AIDS patients from a variety of causes. Colostral immunoglobulins are highly resistant to digestion in the gastrointestinal tract.
59. Plettenberg, A, et al. A preparation from bovine colostrum in the treatment of HIV-positive patients with chronic diarrhea. Clinical Investigator 71(1):42-45 (1993). Another study which examined the use of immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum in the treatment of chronic diarrhea in AIDS patients. 40% of the study group experienced complete remission of symptoms and 24% partial remission.
60. Greenberg, PD, Cello, JP. Treatment of severe diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum with oral bovine immunoglobulin concentrate in patients with AIDS. Journal of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology 13(4):348-354 (1996). Another study which looked at the treatment of cryptosporidiosis diarrhea in AIDS patients with an immunoglobulin concentrate from bovine colostrum. Best results were found using a powdered form of the concentrate rather than in capsules.
61. Korhonen, H, et al. Milk immunoglobulins and complement factors. British Journal of Nutrition 84(Suppl.1):S75-S80 (2000). Bovine colostrum contains three main classes of immunoglobulin IgG (IgG1 75% and IgG2), IgM and IgA, plus hemolytic and bactericidal complement. Complement is a complex group of proteins which act in concert with antibodies to inactivate and/or kill pathogens.
62. Gopal, PK, and Gill, HS. Oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates in bovine milk and colostrum. British Journal of Nutrition 84(Suppl.1):S69-S74 (2000). Another way colostrum helps protect against infections is through the oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates it contains. These are complex sugars which compete for binding sites in the GI tract with pathogens.
63. Janusz, M, Lisowski, J. Proline-rich polypeptide (PRP) - an immunomodulatory peptide from ovine colostrum. Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis 41:275-279 (1993). A unique, non-species specific polypeptide which plays an immunomodulatory role in the immune system. It can induce the differentiation of thymocytes into functional T-cells as well as increase the permeability of skin blood vessels. What makes it unique is that a second exposure to the polypeptide reverses the changes induced by first exposure.
64. Julius, MH, et al. A colostral protein that induces the growth and differentiation of resting B lymphocytes. Journal of Immunology 140:1366-1371 (1988). Colostrinin has also been shown to induce the growth and differentiation of resting B lymphocytes. T and B lymphocytes are the two main types of lymphocytes involved in the immune response.
65. Blach-Olszewska, Z, Janusz, M. Stimulatory effect of ovine colostrinine (a proline-rich polypeptide) on interferons and tumor necrosis factor product by murine resident peritoneal cells. Archivum Immunologiae et Therapie Experimentalis (Warsaw) 45(1):43-47 (1997). Colostrinin stimulates the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) and interferon-beta (INF-?), both important cytokines in the inflammatory response.
66. Hagiwara, K, et al. Oral administration of IL-1 beta enhanced the proliferation of lymphocytes and the O(2)(-) production of neutrophil in newborn calf. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 81(1-2):59-69 (2001) Interleukin-1? in colostrum stimulates the immune system by increasing the amount of peripheral white blood cells, especially monocytes.
67. Bocci, V, et al. What is the role of cytokines in human colostrum? Journal of Biologic Regulatory and Homeostatic Agents 5(4):121-124 (1991). The cytokines present in colostrum, such as TNF-?, interferon-?, IL-1 and IL-6, have an immunostimulatory effect. This could be significant for aged people or others with immunodeficiency.
68. Bessler, H., et al. Human colostrum stimulates cytokine production. Biology of the Neonate 69(6):376-382 (1996). Colostrum has also been shown to stimulate the production of certain cytokines, IL-1, IL-3 and IL-6, in peripheral white blood cells (monocytes).
69. Bogdan, C, Nathan, C. Modulation of macrophage function by transforming growth factor beta, interleukin-4, and interleukin-10. Annals of the New York Academy of Science 685:713-739 (1993). Certain cytokines found in colostrum, TGF-?, IL-4 and IL-10, have a modulatory effect on macrophages, either stimulating or deactivating them as conditions dictate.
70. Gahr, M, et al. Influence of lactoferrin on the function of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes. Journal of Leukocyte Biology 49(5):427-433 (1991). White blood cells (polymorphonuclear leucocytes) exposed to lactoferrin from bovine colostrum exhibit increased motility and produce more superoxide (a powerful antioxidant).
71. Sirota, L, et al. Effect of human colostrum on interleukin-2 production and natural killer cell activity. Archive of Diseases in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition 72(3):F99-102 (1995). Colostrum stimulates or inhibits the production of IL-2 depending on its concentration. It also inhibits the activity of natural killer cells, but the production of IL-2 reverses this effect. This is thought to be another way that colostrum modulates the immune system response.
72. Borody, TJ, et al. Tunnel vision in the bowel. Center for Digestive Diseases (2001). Review of irritable bowel syndrome, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and its etiology, including infective agents such as Shigella and Campylobacter. Infections of the gut are difficult to treat because no antimicrobial therapy is available that is effective against Clostridia spores. Only bovine colostrum has proven clinical efficacy in eradicating intestinal pathogens, such as rotavirus, and may help control the infections seen in chronic disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome due to the number of biologically active components in colostrum. The growth factors in colostrum help heal intestinal erosions and ulcerations. It also contains anti-inflammatory factors and is nutrient rich. Colostrum may be used alone or in combination with other anti-inflammatory and/or immune substances. Future research should focus on identifying immune strategies, novel delivery systems and identification of the bioactives in colostrum.
73. Prosser, C, et al. Reduction in heat induced gastrointestinal hyperpermeability in rats by bovine colostrum and goat milk powders. Journal of Applied Physiology 96:650-654 (2004). Bovine colostrum healed "leaky gut" in an experimental rat model used heat induced gastrointestinal hyperpermeability.
74. Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Repair Group, Imperial College, London (2003). Unpublished research. In an in vitro experimental study, colostrum stimulated intestinal cell growth and reestablished a healthy epithelial layer following injury. In an in vivo experimental study, colostrum powder was also shown to reduce gastric injury.
75. Bitzan, MM, et al. Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori and Helicobacter mustelae binding to lipid receptors by bovine colostrum. Journal of Infectious Diseases 177:955-961 (1998). Bovine colostrum blocked binding of H. pylori (a major cause of chronic gastritis and ulcers in humans) and H. mustelae (a similar pathogen found in ferrets). This is apparently a function of the phosphatidylethanolamine found in colostrum and BIO-lipid.
76. Korhonen, H. Bactericidal effect of bovine normal and immune serum, colostrum and milk against Helicobacter pylori. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 78:655-662 (1995). The antibody-complement system found in bovine colostrum was also found to be bactericidal against H. pylori.
77. Carver, JD, Barness, LA. Trophic factors for the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical Perinatology 23(2):265-285 (1996). Factors in colostrum which promote the development of the GI tract in newborn infants also help protect against such diseases as Crohn's disease, colitis, necrotizing enterocolitis and diarrhea.
78. Bühler, C., et al. Small intestinal morphology in eight-day-old calves fed colostrum for different durations or only milk replacer and treated with long-R3-insulin-like growth factor I and growth hormone. Journal of Animal Science 76:758-765 (1998). The intestines of calves fed colostrum compared to those not fed colostrum revealed that those fed colostrum had significantly increased villus size and crypt depths. This translates into greater surface area and thus increased absorption of nutrients.
79. Blättler, U, et al. Feeding colostrum, its composition and feeding duration variably modify proliferation and morphology of the intestine and digestive enzyme activities of neonatal calves. Journal of Nutrition 131(4):1256-1263 (2001). A similar study done on calves either receiving or not receiving colostrum. This study concentrated on the development and health of the gastrointestinal epithelium and found that the development and health of this epithelium was markedly superior in those receiving colostrum. Colostrum also influenced the production of lipase enzyme by the pancreas.
80. Pluske, JR, Morel, PCH. Increasing weaner pig productivity in New Zealand pig herds. Unpublished research (1999). Piglets fed a liquid supplement with colostrum powder had a marked increase in villi height in the lumen of the small intestine, indicating greater digestion and absorption of nutrients. There were also an increased number of immune cells in the villi, indicating enhanced immune competency.
81. Playford, RJ, et al. Bovine colostrum is a health food supplement which prevents NSAID induced gut damage. Gut 44:653-658 (1999). Although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are very effective in controlling joint pain in arthritis, their use also causes significant, and sometimes fatal, gastrointestinal damage. Supplementation with colostrum, however, significantly reduced and healed injury caused by NSAIDs.
82. Playford, RJ, et al. Co-administration of the health food supplement, bovine colostrum, reduces the acute non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced increase in intestinal permeability. Clinical Science 100:627-633 (2001). Another study by Dr. Playford on the ability of colostrum to prevent damage due to NSAID use. This study showed that colostrum also prevents an increase in gastrointestinal permeability due to NSAID use, whereas NSAID use alone without colostrum causes an increase in permeability.
83. Goldman, AS, et al. Anti-inflammatory properties of human milk. Acta Paediatrica Scandinavica 75(5):689-695 (1986). The major anti-inflammatory components found in human milk (and bovine colostrum) include anti-proteases, lactoferrin, lysozyme, secretory IgA, and a number of antioxidants, including cysteine, ascorbate, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene.
84. Murphey, DK, Buescher, ES. Human colostrum has anti-inflammatory activity in a rat subcutaneous air pouch model of inflammation. Pediatric Research 34(2):208-212 (1993). In an experimental animal model using subcutaneous air pouches in rats, colostrum showed significant anti-inflammatory activity.
85. Buescher, ES, McWilliams-Koeppen, P. Soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) receptors in human colostrum and milk bind to TNF-alpha and neutralize TNF-alpha bioactivity. Pediatric Research 44(1):37-42 (1998). The ability of colostrum to modulate the inflammatory response is unique. One of the ways in which it does this is through TNF-? receptor proteins, which are found in colostrum. These bind to TNF-?, which inactivates the TNF-?. TNF-? is the activator of the entire inflammatory cascade, so by controlling its activity, colostrum controls the degree of the inflammatory response and can shut it off altogether.
86. Feldmann, M, et al. Role of cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis. Annual Review of Immunology 14:397-440 (1996). This study confirmed that TNF-? is the major controlling factor in the inflammatory response seen in rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore the ability of colostrum to modulate the activity of TNF-? may be the way in which colostrum is of benefit to those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (and other types of arthritis as well).
87. Hagiwara, K, et al. Detection of cytokines in bovine colostrum. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 76:183-190 (2000). Colostrum contains five cytokines, TNF-?, IL-1?, IL-6, IL-1ra (receptor antagonist) and INF-?, which have known immunomodulatory effects.
88. Feldmann, M, et al. Cytokines in autoimmune disorders. International Review of Immunology 17(1-4)217-228 (1998). Cytokines are important protein mediators of immunity, inflammation, cell proliferation, differentiation, fibrosis, and so forth, in other words, all the major biological processes which underlie autoimmune disorders. Modulating the effects of these cytokines, particularly TNF-?, can result in amelioration of the symptoms of the disorders.
89. De Keyser, F, et al. Gut inflammation and spondyloarthropathies. Current Rheumatology Reports 4(6):525-532 (2002). Spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are a related group of arthritic conditions which include ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease. SpA have been correlated with gut inflammation and are immunologically related Crohn's disease. Colostrum's ability to control gut inflammation and modulate the activity of TNF-? indicate that it may be of benefit in SpA treatment.
90. Nitsch, A, Nitsch, FP. Clinical use of bovine colostrum. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 13(2) (1998). A colostrum preparation was used clinically to treat rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis with good results.
91. Britigan, BE, et al. The role of lactoferrin as an anti-inflammatory molecule. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 357:143-156 (1994). While the role of lactoferrin in providing non-specific immunity is well documented, it also plays a role in the anti-inflammatory response through its antioxidant effect.
92. Conneely, OM. Anti-inflammatory activities of lactoferrin. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 20(Suppl. 5):389S-395S (2001). Lactoferrin inhibits dermal inflammatory cytokine production and acts as a potent anti-inflammatory protein at local sites of inflammation, including the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.
93. Stanton, G, et al. Use of colostrinin, constituent peptides thereof, and analogs thereof, as oxidative stress regulators. US Patent #6,500,798 (2002). Colostrinin acts as a general purpose oxidative stress regulator. It can be used to reduce the effects of oxidative stress (i.e. free radicals) either locally, such as on the skin, or as a supplement for the entire body.
94. Collins, AM, et al. Bovine milk, including pasteurized milk, contains antibodies directed against allergens of clinical importance to man. International Archives of Allergy and Applied Immunology 96:362-367 (1991). The presence of antibodies against many of the most common allergies in man, including ryegrass pollen, house dust mites, Aspergillus mold and wheat gluten, were detected in bovine colostrum.
95. Delespesse, G. Polypeptide factors from colostrum. US Patent #5,371,073 (1994). IgE (the immunoglobulin involved in allergic response) binding factors (IgE-bf) and IgE suppressor activity (IgE-SF) obtained from colostrum have been successfully used to treat allergies.
96. Leszek, J, et al. Colostrinin^®: a proline-rich polypeptide (PRP) complex isolated from ovine colostrum for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis 47:377-385 (1999). Colostrinin has psycho-immuno-enhancing activity. It was given to patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild to moderate dementia and compared to placebo and selenium, another putative natural treatment for Alzheimer's. Colostrinin demonstrated stabilization of symptoms in 13 of 15 patients as compared to none in the selenium group.
97. Leszek, J, et al. Colostrinin^® proline-rich polypeptide complex from ovine colostrum - a long-term study of its efficacy in Alzheimer's disease. Medical Science Monitor 8(10):P193-P196 (2002). In a longer-term study, colostrinin produced improvement or stabilization in patients involved in the study.
98. Amaducci, L, et al. Use of phosphatidylserine in Alzheimer's disease. Annals of the New York Academy of Science 640:245-249 (1991). Supplementation with phosphatidylserine, one of the phospholipids found in BIO-lipid, also produces an improvement in symptoms in Alzheimer's.
99. Crook, TH, et al. Effects of phosphatidylserine in age-associated memory impairment. Neurology 41(5):644-649 (1991). Patients with age-associated memory impairment showed significant improvement in memory performance tests with phosphatidylserine supplementation over a 12 week period.

1Crook, T, et al. Effects of phosphatidylserine in Alzheimer's disease. Psychopharmacology Bulletin 28(1):61-66 (1992). Another study which showed an improvement in symptoms of Alzheimer's with phosphatidylserine supplementation over 12 weeks. The less the impairment, the greater the improvement, suggesting that the earlier phosphatidylserine supplementation is begun in the course of the disease, the better the results will be.

1. Cross, CE, et al. Oxygen radicals and human disease. Annals of Internal Medicine 107(4):526-545 (1987). Oxygen free radicals, the by-products of normal metabolism, have been implicated in disease processes ranging from carcinogenesis to aging, emphasizing the importance of antioxidants in combating these conditions.
2. Ames, BN, et al. Oxidants, antioxidants, and the degenerative diseases of aging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 90(17):7915-7922 (1993). Oxidant by-products of metabolism cause significant damage to DNA, proteins and lipids. This damage results in aging and the degenerative diseases associated with aging, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune system decline, brain dysfunction and cataracts. Antioxidant defenses against these diseases decline with age, necessitating the supplementation of antioxidants in the diet.
3. Shigenaga, MK, et al. Oxidative damage and mitochondrial decay in aging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 91(23):10771-10778 (1994). The major source of oxidative damage are oxidants generated by mitochondria in the cells of the body. Mitochondrial function declines with age, including decreased membrane fluidity, proton leakage across the inner mitochondrial membrane, and decreases levels of cardiolipin, an important lipid which supports the functioning of proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
4. Kurz, DJ, et al. Chronic oxidative stress compromises telomere integrity and accelerates the onset of senescence in human endothelial cells. Journal of Cell Science 117:2417-2426 (2004). Oxidative stress due to the buildup of oxidization by-products has been linked to the onset of cell senescence in blood vessel lining cells by disrupting telomere integrity. Telomeres are the "tails" of the chromosomes, the length of which determine the number of cell divisions a cell can undergo before reaching its limit. Glutathione, a powerful natural antioxidant, is crucial in maintaining telomere integrity.
5. Borissenko, M. Glutathione: A powerful anti-oxidant found in colostrum. NZMP August 2002. Both glutathione and its chemical predecessors are present in large quantities in colostrum. As glutathione is not absorbed directly, glutathione production in the body can only be accomplished by supplementation with its antecedents, cystine, glycine and glutamic acid, all of which are abundant in colostrum.
6. Buescher, ES, McIlheran, SM. Antioxidant properties of human colostrum. Pediatric Research 24(1):14-19 (1988). Colostrum reduces ferricytochrome C in polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) and also disrupts other metabolic and enzymatic activities of PMNs which are crucial in PMN respiratory burst mediation of acute inflammation, showing that colostrum is a powerful antioxidant.
7. Buescher, ES, McIlheran, SM. Colostral antioxidants: separation and characterization of two activities in human colostrum. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 14(1):47-56 (1992). Colostrum interferes with the production of PMN respiratory burst products in two ways, ascorbate and uric acid.
8. Boldogh, I, et al. Modulation of 4HNE-mediated signaling by proline-rich peptides from ovine colostrum. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience 20(2):125-134 (2003). Colostrinin down regulates lipid peroxidation, inhibits glutathione depletion and reduces intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This is one more way that colostrum demonstrates antioxidant activity.
9. Wakabayashi, H, et al. Inhibition of iron/ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation by an N-terminal peptide of bovine lactoferrin and its acylated derivatives. Bioscience, Biotechnology, Biochemistry 63(5):955-957 (1999). Lactoferrin also plays an important antioxidant role in colostrum by preventing lipid peroxidation.

RECEPTOL® in Disaster Relief

By PROF. RALPH FOSTER, M.D., M.P.H.

Our public health community is in an enviable position today of having the ability to provide biotech products and services to prevent and reduce infectious disease as major health concerns for the Tsunami survivors.

Globalceuticals, Inc. is committed to bringing the discovery of informational proteins into the public domain in the form of RECEPTOL^®; a biotech product that reorients the system of the body to support wellness, by normalizing mammal cellular function, provides stoichometric hindrance to viruses at the cellular surface to prevent viruses attaching to cell surfaces, and when needed induce recovery. 

Recently, the SARS virus was a high profile disease in China.  SARS is a virus, like many other viruses can be treated successfully with RECEPTOL.  The RECEPTOL^® software includes an uncounted number of ligand protein units all designed to key into cellular receptor sites and block viruses from attaching to human cells.  Exploration of new health possibilities becomes essential to making a difference in the quality of people's lives.

To date RECEPTOL^® (infopeptide supplementation) is indicated for the prevention and reduction of: Tuberculosis, Acute and chronic viral infections (HAV, HCV, HIV, SARS, Mononucleosis, Colds, Flus, and Rabies), Allergies, Thrush, Viral and Bacterial Pharyngitis, Celiac Sprue, Kuru (Prion Disease), topical applications (burns, infections, and insect bites). The world needs a more effective method of response to life threatening infectious diseases that is:

• Broadly effective with ancillary effect against a wide range of opportunistic infections
• Safe under all circumstances including extended use
• Without the prospect for eventual resistance
• Practical, palatable and easy to administer
• Compatible with other treatments
• Compatible with religious and cultural sensitivities
• Universally available
• Priced appropriately in all markets
• Available to the poor with assistance from non-profit organizations

Ralph Foster, a professor of health sciences at the University of Phoenix, has 25+ years experience in immunological research, as well as in NIAID, NIH Conference presentations.  He has had international, hands on experience in medicine, and public health.  He is currently located in San Miguel, California.